Hedera helix
by For Esme
Summary: Lucius Malfoy ordered a 17 year old Severus Snape to rid him of Narcissa's transgression. As the wizarding world rebuilds after the 2nd war, a 21 year old secret will help mend the war torn Weasley family and shake up pure-blood society.
1. Prologue

**A/N This is my first HP fanfic. It will run close to canon but not exact and Snape may be slightly OOC. Please feel free to point out errors, I do not have a beta and it's been years since I've read the books.**

**I DISCLAIM. The world of Harry Potter is awesome but, not mine. **

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****Prologue**

**November 1977**

"It's near a fortnight since I owled for you. Where've you been?" Lucius Malfoy snapped coldly as he ushered his companion through the imposing halls of Malfoy Manor.

"It is not exactly easy to sneak out of Hogwarts," came the monotone reply.

"How'd you manage?"

"Lucky for you my mother died and I was allowed to leave the school to settle her affairs," retorted the visitor.

Lucius hesitated before replying, "my condolences."

"What do you want?"

"Remember yourself Severus," Lucius whirled on him, pinning him up against the nearest wall. "It would do you good to mind your betters," releasing the younger man he began pacing the length of the study they'd just walked into. "Dobby!" he called; a house elf appeared seconds later. He whispered to the tiny creature before it disappeared and he was able to returned his attention to the younger man still standing against the far wall. "I need you to dispose of something."

"What is it?" Severus asked carefully, knowing full well it would be something most unpleasant if Lucius refused to handle the situation himself.

"Here you is, Master. The little miss just wakes up," Dobby suddenly reappeared with what looked to be a pile of rags.

"Give it to Severus," Lucius barked, refusing to look at the bundle.

"Take good care of the little miss," Dobby squeaked as he thrust the rags forward and Severus got a good look at what lay cocooned inside.

"I thought this was taken care of months ago, Lucius," Severus hissed.

"As did I," the blonde sneered. "By the time I discovered the potion was faulty, Cissy was too far along. Regardless of this indiscretion, I did not want her dead. The Black family dowry is nothing to scoff at and her father increased it two-fold based on her condition. We're to marry on the Winter Solstice."

"Does she know the child lives?"

"No, she believes it dead and is beside herself with grief," Lucius closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, the insanity of the last two weeks finally catching up to him. "If I ever lay eyes on that blood-traitor," he sucked in a quick breath, "he'll beg for death."

"And just what do you suggest I do?" Severus asked, trying to mask his nervousness. "Surely you don't wish me to drive a spike through its ankles and leave it atop Ben Nevis like an ancient Greek? I don't think I have to remind you what happened to Oedipus."

"Kill it however you deem fit, Severus," Lucius responded through gritted teeth. "Leave no trace of the abomination and I'll make sure the Dark Lord hears of your service."

"Very well," Severus awkwardly readjusted his hold on the baby. "I'll owl you when it is done," he said without a parting glance to the blonde. Looking down at the drowsy infant his heart clenched when he noticed the child's red hair, so much like Lily's. He quickly strode down to the main parlor of Malfoy Manor where he could floo out. Shouting, "Spinner's End!" he stepped into the flames and departed.


	2. Nevermore

**A/N I must warn you to make note of the year. This story will change years only once more after this.**

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**July 1995**

Ivy Gardner was nothing like her sister Rosemary, in fact, growing up she was nothing like any of the other children she knew. She spent most of her time outdoors, preferring the company of plants and animals to human beings. While her sister went out shopping, Ivy could be found exploring the neighborhood tending to the plants and talking to the squirrels. Her parents called her a free-spirit, her sister just called her weird.

"Where are you off to this morning?" Hazel Gardner asked her eldest daughter who sat perched on the kitchen counter eating toast and picking at the hole in the knee of her overalls.

"Work," Ivy replied hopping down off the counter.

"Work?" Scoffed her sister from the kitchen table. "Cleaning that greasy gits yard is hardly work. You're not exactly getting paid."

"Rosemary!" Hazel admonished her youngest. "Be nice! Severus is a family friend."

"He has the most terrific herb garden 'round back and someone has to take care of it since he's never there," Ivy explained pulling on her green Wellies.

"He's a dirty old man," Rosemary retorted. "Widow Ashmore says he's off in Southeast Asia cavorting with child prostitutes; that's why he's never around."

"Widow Ashmore has an overactive imagination," Hazel rolled her eyes, knowing quite well why the man was never in Spinner's End, but not ready to explain it to her children. While she was a Squib, her girls knew naught of the magical world. "Ivy dear, have you thought anymore about University? You certainly are smart enough, taking your A levels and not yet 17."

"I have," she told her mother, hopping off the counter, "and I still think it's a waste of time."

"You might consider getting yourself a real job then if you refuse to go to uni," Hazel raised a well manicured eyebrow toward her daughter.

"No," Ivy responded thoughtfully, "I don't think so. I'd rather go exploring. You could do with a little adventure in your life Mum," she kissed her mother's cheek.

"You're all the adventure I can handle," she chuckled, watching Ivy leave.

While the morning had started off damp and grey, the early afternoon sun was beginning to burn off the clouds, allowing rays of sunshine to peak through. The desolate remnant of the once thriving industrial town would inflict an overwhelming case of ennui upon many but, to Ivy it was home and held some of the most remarkable hidden treasures. Her favourite being found in the overgrown backyard of one Severus Snape.

Ivy had only met the man a few times in her life. He showed up every few years for dinner on her birthday or during Easter hols. He cut an imposing figure; dark, sharp tongued and to the point. She liked that about him. He never once spoke down to her because she was a child and took a keen interest in her education.

She'd stumbled upon his gardens at the age of 12 while following a turtle around the neighborhood. It was one of the few times Severus was occupying the home and after reprimanding her harshly for trespassing, he quickly went about educating her on the finer points of each plant, explaining their medicinal importance and growing conditions. She was drawn to the small plot of land behind his ramshackle home; something about the residence called to her and revitalized her. Five years later she was still religiously tending to his plants.

"Good afternoon, Hector," Ivy called to the aforementioned turtle that had taken up residence in the far corner of the yard. "Enjoying the strawberries I planted for you, eh?" She smiled, picking up on the turtles elation as it happily munched on the fruit. Ever since she was young she had been able to pick up on the emotions of animals; some more clearly than others. She was teased terribly in school when she tried explaining it to the other children and since then had kept it to herself.

Taking a deep breath, she stretched her arms high above her head and felt the energy surrounding the garden flow through her body, grounding her to the earth. A few moments later she set to work pulling out weeds and peeling slugs off of leaves. Noticing a disturbance under the surface of the earth she followed the track back toward the fence, stomping down the tunnel as she went. Thinking it was a vole when she saw a bit of slightly furred flesh sticking out of a small hole, she put on her gardening gloves and reached in.

The creature she pulled up however was no vole. It looked rather like a squirming, deformed potato with pointy little teeth and beady eyes. Both Ivy and the creature momentarily stared at each other before Ivy screamed and flung it into the next yard. "Bloody Nora," she remarked, trying to get her heartbeat under control, "what was that?"

Sensing something laughing at her, Ivy scanned the yard before spying a raven perched on the fence. "You think that was funny?!" she asked, the bird bobbing its head in affirmative. "What the bloody hell was that thing?" She asked, not expecting a picture of the creature to show up in her mind.

Startled, she looked at the bird. "Did you do that?" She asked, the raven snapping its beak at her as the picture appeared again. This time the creature was being swung around by a person and hurled over a fence. "I don't understand," she said. The bird let out a frustrated caw before sending her a picture of the garden.

"The garden?" Ivy asked, quickly seeing an image of a decorative lawn gnome. "A gnome?"

Having enough of the girls dimwittedness, the raven swooped off the fence and dive bombed the redhead, hoping to knock some sense into her.

"Hey!" Ivy hollered, shielding her head and glaring at the bird. Again, the raven sent an image of the garden and lawn gnome to her. "A garden gnome?" The bird cawed and bobbed its head. "That beast was a garden gnome?"

Frustrated, the bird cawed loudly at Ivy. The girl really was what his human would call a dunderhead.

"What the hell's a garden gnome?" Ivy asked herself, a bit confused by the events of the last 10 minutes. Suddenly an image of the deformed potato monster appeared in her minds eye again. "Alright, don't be an arse," she looked pointedly at the bird. This level of communication with an animal was entirely new and a bit unnerving to her. Sure she'd felt creatures before but, this was practically talking to them.

"Do you have a name?" she asked as the bird flew down from off the fence and nearer to her. An image of Edgar Allan Poe suddenly appeared and she couldn't help but laugh. "You're kidding me?" she snorted, the bird snapping at her. "Guess not. Edgar is it?" The raven bobbed its head.

Elated by her new found ability, Ivy sat in the garden "talking" to Edgar until long after the sun had set. She was broken out of her reverie by the sound of a loud explosion and an overwhelming feeling of dread. Running to the front of the house and into the street she saw a strange symbol lighting the night sky. Following the symbol downward she saw her home engulfed in flames. "No," she whispered. "No!" she screamed, taking off down the lane.

Edgar seemed to have other plans and kept flying in front of her, making it impossible for her to navigate down the street as he sent her images of red traffic lights. "Stop it you ruddy bird!" Ivy screamed, flailing her arms about wildly before being grabbed by a cloaked figure that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Let me go!" She screamed as she was dragged backwards.

"Ivy, stop struggling!" Came a voice that could only belong to Severus Snape. "It is imperative that you stop struggling and come with me."

"No!" She continued to yell. "I have to help them!"

"They're gone!" He shook her. "They're dead and you will join them if you don't come with me this instant!"

Shocked, Ivy stopped struggling at once and allowed Snape to drag her into his home. "What's going on?" she asked just above a whisper once she was settled into a threadbare armchair.

Severus paced in front of her momentarily, his head swimming. There was no saving Hazel and her family, the Dark Lord had them marked for death but, he was overjoyed that Ivy had not been home. She was the closest thing to a child that he had, a skewed paternal bond having been forged by his inability to kill her 17 years prior.

"Death Eaters," he said quietly. "Your mothers family has angered the Dark Lord and he is making an example of them."

"Death Eaters?" Ivy repeated, not quite sure she had heard him right. "What the hell is a Death Eater? My mother had no family! What is going on?"

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**Oh! A cliffhanger! How deliciously naughty of me.**


	3. Roots

**A/N Yes, a reason as to why she never received a Hogwarts letter will be provided. Next chapter though. Thank you for reading. :)**

**I DISCLAIM**

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"She never told you," Severus sat down in the chair across from Ivy. "Of course she didn't tell you, that would be too easy," he grumbled under his breath.

"Told me what?" Ivy asked carefully.

"Your mo-- Hazel was a Squib."

"A what?"

"A Squib, the non-magical offspring of magical parents."

Ivy stared at the older man seated across from her as though he had sprouted another head. "You're barmy. A complete nutter! Rosie was right. All these years and she was right, I can't believe it…" she began to ramble.

Not sure what to do Severus pulled out his wand and cast a silencio on the hysterical girl. As soon as the spell took effect Ivy stopped, eyes wide in panic. "I am not, as you so eloquently stated, a nutter. I am a wizard. Now, if you would kindly shut up and let me speak I will lift the charm and explain."

Nodding her head in the affirmative, Ivy felt the spell lift and bit her tongue to keep from speaking out of turn.

"Now listen closely because I will only explain this part once," he said tiredly as he launched into an explanation of the wizarding world, the war currently waging within and his current position, knowing he could always obliviate her later. Ivy, to her credit listened attentively and did not interject though she couldn't quite figure out her place in all of this.

"Hazel was born to a pure-blood family; the Browns. Squibs are not well received in our society and she was disowned by her family and lived her life as a muggle. During the first war her father sided with the Dark Lord. Now that he is back, her remaining family has chosen not to realign with him. Hazel and her family were quickly marked for death. They were far enough removed from our world to not make the papers but, in it enough to send a message. You do not refuse the Dark Lord."

"This is my mother! Stop speaking like she's a stranger!" Ivy exclaimed.

"She was not your mother, Ivy," Severus told her gently. "Not by blood at least. Hazel and her husband took you in upon my request."

Ivy sucked in a sharp breath. It made sense, she looked nothing like either of her parents but, that didn't change the heaviness of what she was just told. "Are you my father then?"

"No."

"Am I a squib too?"

"No."

"A muggle?"

"No."

"A witch?"

"Not quite."

"Not quite?!" Ivy leapt from the chair. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Sit down," Severus shot her a look, causing her to immediately sit back down. "You have a very faint magical signature, meaning you have very limited magical abilities."

"Is that why your raven can talk to me?" she asked, pointing to the bird that watched them attentively from the back of the sofa.

"You can converse with him?" Snape raised an eyebrow. It was highly unusual for ones familiar to be able to communicate with others.

"Not really, he shows me pictures," she shrugged. "He's a cheeky bastard."

"Interesting," he stared at his familiar briefly, the corner of his mouth twitching into the slightest bit of a smirk at Ivy's description of his cantankerous raven. "Yes, I assume that's part of your limited abilities. Witches and wizards are innately drawn to nature."

"Do you know who my parents are?"

"Yes."

"Well, are you going to tell me?" she quipped testily.

"Mind your tone, young lady," he scolded, shocking even himself with the fatherly air he had taken on.

"Sorry," Ivy responded sheepishly. "Please, just tell me the truth."

"I was summoned away from school to dispose of you shortly after your birth," he said in one quick breath. "Your mother, Narcissa Black was set to marry Lucius Malfoy through an arranged marriage. They are not uncommon in our world, especially in the upper echelons of society. I do not know the sordid details but, from what the gossip mongers had to say she was very much in love with another; Gideon Prewett. He was a pure-blood like your mother but, from a family of "blood traitors." She fell pregnant with you shortly before she was to marry Lucius. Both her family and the Malfoy family were furious. She was given an abortifacient potion to terminate the pregnancy. It was made incorrectly however and you continued to thrive. By the time anyone realized she was still with child it was too late. There was no way to terminate the pregnancy without a high risk of killing Cissy. She carried to term and gave birth to you. She was told you did not survive."

Ivy sat silently, listening to a tale so strange she was sure it was all a bad dream. The reality of the situation had not yet sunk in and would probably not for some time. "Please, go on," she urged.

"At the time I was in my last year at Hogwarts and foolishly trying to get into the Dark Lords ranks. Lucius summoned me. I was to kill you and in return he'd sing my praises to the Dark Lord. I took one look at you and couldn't do it," he told her with an unprecedented amount of tenderness in his voice. "I came back here and looked after you myself for a few days before I was able to convince Hazel and her husband to take you in."

"What of my parents, my birth parents?"

"Cissy was wracked with grief for many years, she has not been the same since. Your father and his brother were killed by Death Eaters when you were four. He never knew of you. Narcissa was kept under lock and key when she became pregnant with you and they never saw each other again. Lucius Malfoy continues to serve the Dark Lord and Narcissa is the epitome of the perfect pure-blood wife."

Both Severus and Ivy sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Neither looked at the other, too absorbed in the events of the evening.

"What is to become of me?" Ivy quietly asked him.

"You are almost of age in the wizarding world," he explained. "You will stay here, it is the safest place for you right now. Only I know you are alive, the muggle authorities will assume you've died alongside the others. We will work out the details in the morning. Right now we both need to sleep."

Ushering her up the stairs he made sure she was settled in the spare bedroom before retiring for the evening. Sleep found neither of them that night however.


	4. Wards

**A/N I see a bunch of you have added this to your story alerts and favorites. Thank you, I'm truly flattered. :)**

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Ivy made her way downstairs as soon as she heard Severus rummaging around the next morning. She found him in the rundown kitchen making tea and buttering toast.

"I apologize for the meager fare, I didn't plan on coming here," he motioned toward the table for her to sit.

"It's fine," she croaked. "You planned on letting me die then," she added, not looking at him.

Rubbing his temples he sat across from her at the table. "My life is no longer my own. I made mistakes in my youth that I am now paying for in adulthood. What happened last night was out of my hands, you must understand that."

"I do not understand that and I'm not sure I ever will but right now, it is the last thing for me to ponder over," warming her hand on the mug of tea in front of her, she took a deep steadying breath. "I'm trying very hard to comprehend everything you told me last night. Reality has not yet sunk in. I've always known that I was different but, this tale of witches and wizards you've spun is almost too much."

"I understand," he responded carefully.

"Do you?!" she looked up. "Everything I've known to be true has been turned upside down. My family is dead, sir! They're dead and then you come along and tell me of this fantastical world filled with magic before adding that I'm "not quite" a member of it. I have no one and I might as well be no one seeing as you're the only person who knows I am alive right now."

"It is the only way," he chose to only address the last statement, hoping to keep the teenage dramatics to a bare minimum. "You will not be safe otherwise. The Dark Lord has returned and the war is just beginning. To enter the magical community now would be a death sentence," he explained. "You will stay here until it is safe. Very few know of this place."

"I will stay here? For how long? Correct me if I'm wrong but, did you not say the first war with this madman lasted years? I will not be holed up here as a prisoner! That is not fair!"

"I know it is not fair!" Severus began to lose his temper. "Life is not fair! This is your reality and unless you want to die you will have to deal with it."

He was right and Ivy knew it. She would have to resign herself to fate and if that meant indefinite confinement then so be it. "Fine."

"Eat," he instructed, a bit confused that she hadn't put up more of a fight. "I do not know the extent of your abilities and there is much to be done before I leave."

"How long will you be gone?" she asked, not expecting to be left alone so soon.

"A week at most."

"I'll be safe here?"

"My wards are strong. In fact, that's how I knew you were magical," Severus smirked a bit at the memory.

"I don't understand," she sent him a quizzical look.

"I've placed magical wards on my property to alert me of people trying to get in and to keep those same people out. When you showed up in the back garden a few years ago I seriously questioned my abilities, I hadn't even felt you enter."

"You thought I was a- um, an- um," she stumbled over her words trying to remember what he'd said the previous evening, "a Squib?"

"Indeed," he shook his head. "There is a book at Hogwarts, that is the school where I teach, that names all future students upon their birth. In my haste to hide you, my younger self did not think of what would happen if your name showed up in that book. I started teaching there a few years later and was able to --" he paused, thinking of the right words, "borrow the book."

"You stole it," Ivy interrupted with a small chortle.

"I did not steal it," came his rebuttal.

"Oh no?" she challenge.

"No," he paused again. "I broke into the headmasters office for a bit of… research."

"Ah, breaking and entering," she teased. "I don't know about your world, sir but here that's a crime."

"May I continue?" he drawled and raised one eyebrow.

"Certainly."

"Your name wasn't in the book and I assumed you to be a Squib. When you appeared in my garden I didn't know what to think, no one should have been able to get on this property. As soon as you left I set about testing all of my wards, they were strong as ever. When I checked to see if any of them were breeched I found the faintest trace of a magical signature… your magical signature."

"That still doesn't tell me how I got in," Ivy pushed, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Uncontrolled magic. It's not uncommon in young witches and wizards. Magic will usually manifest when the child is throwing a temper tantrum or in danger; it's linked to extreme emotions. You must have wanted to get back there very badly. I do have to admit that I've been very curious to find out the reason for years."

"I was following a turtle."

"Come again?"

"A turtle," she managed to chuckle at the absurdity of it. "Hector. He still lives here, under the spruce along the south wall."

"You slipped through my wards because you were determined to follow a turtle?" he asked, at a complete loss.

"I'd been following him around the neighborhood all day. I believe he was more determined than I to get into your yard. He wanted to eat the hyssop you were growing."

Taking a deep breath, Severus resigned himself to the fact that he would never understand children. "Oh, of course," he rolled his eyes.

"If I have magic then, why wasn't I in the book?"

"That's a good question. I've done some research over the years but, there is not much written on the subject. I have yet to find documentation of someone with a signature as weak as yours. There have been cases however, of children entering Hogwarts but not being able to finish their education due to a weaker signature. It's very likely you simply don't possess the strength to do the magic required."

"But why? What's wrong with me?"

"I believe it was the potion Narcissa was given to terminate her pregnancy. There are herbs used in abortifacients that cleanse the blood. They are perfectly safe for an adult but, on an undeveloped fetus they were too strong. They literally cleansed the magic out of you."

"Great," she responded sarcastically.

"That's enough dawdling," he suddenly pushed his chair back from the table. "Come, I need to see if you can feel the wards."

Standing, both Ivy and Severus moved into the sitting room. Ivy quickly situated herself on the couch and watched as Severus began murmuring to himself in what sounded like Latin and waved his wand. After a moment or two her mind wandered off and she began picturing him as a baton twirler and laughed loudly.

"Are you finished?" Severus broke her daydream.

"Quite," she reigned in her laughter. "Are you?"

"Yes. I've adjusted the wards. They've recognized you for years, that's how you were able to return but, now you should be able to read them as well. I'm going to test them, tell me if you feel anything," he explained, flourishing his wand.

"It tingles," she nodded. "Feels like when your foot falls asleep, but all over."

"Good. You will feel that whenever I come through." Continuing with his wand waving he smirked when Ivy suddenly shot up off the sofa.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" she squealed, crossing her arms and rubbing her shoulders briskly. "I feel like I was electrocuted."

"You essentially were," he stated matter-of-factly. "That is what will happen when someone who shouldn't be here is trying to get through. Follow me," he strode over to and walked up the stairs. When they arrived at the end of the hallway on the second floor Severus stopped abruptly in front of a ladder leading into what appeared to be an attic. "I did this last night."

"What is it?"

"It is where you will go if you ever feel someone other than me trying to enter. I cannot feel these wards at a distance but, I will be alerted as soon as you pull up the ladder and seal that entry," he pointed toward the ceiling. "As soon as it is sealed the room will be undetectable and only I will be able to see and open it."

"There's no way you're locking me up there," she stated finitely. "What if something malfunctions and you come back in a few months just to find me a dusty pile of bones in your cramped attic?"

"It will not malfunction," he snapped at her. "I am very good at what I do and when I return and have more time, I will make sure it is modified to be a comfortable living space in case of an emergency."

Ivy looked at him skeptically before sighing and shaking her head. "What else?" she asked.

"Come back downstairs."

Arriving back in the sitting room Severus showed his charge a stack of books he'd piled next to one of the armchairs. "These should be able to answer most of your questions about our world," he told her, reaching for the book on top and rifling through the pages. "This," he spun the book around to show her an image, "is a house elf. Do not be alarmed when one shows up here tomorrow. His name is Dobby and he once belonged to the Malfoys. I'm sure he will remember you and be a blubbering nuisance when he arrives but, he's the only option I have right now to get you any items you may require."

"My god," she scrunched her face as she looked at the picture. "That thing is uglier than a garden gnome."

"What do you know of garden gnomes?" he asked curiously.

"I found one in the garden yesterday. Gave me a right fright, it did," she chuckled. "Edgar was kind enough to tell me what it was, after he had a good laugh, of course. Will he be staying?"

"No, Edgar comes with me. He is my familiar and does some of my bidding."

"That sounds ominous."

"He delivers letters for me and harasses the occasional dunderhead," Severus smirked at the bird that was once again perched in the sitting room. "There's a book relating to familiars in that pile. You may want to read up on them seeing as you are able to communicate with mine. It's highly unusual for someone not bonded to the animal to understand it."

"I will," she nodded, standing a bit awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"I must go soon. This is my summer home, I have not spent much time here during the summer in the past but I will make my excuses and come as often as possible. There is much for you to learn yet."

"You've got that right," she mumbled.

"Dobby will arrive tomorrow with provisions. You may move freely about the house and the backyard only, do not under any circumstances move from under the wards," walking around the living room he gathered a few things and let Edgar out through the window. "I am going to apparate out of here. You will hear a popping noise and I will seem to have vanished into thin air. If for any reason you feel unsafe move directly into the attic space. Is that clear?" he asked in a no nonsense tone.

"Yes, sir," she nodded.

"Very well, I shall see you soon," Severus bowed slightly, "and I'm very sorry about your family." With that, he disapparated with a pop (like he had explained) and Ivy slumped down onto the couch.

The sudden silence was overwhelming and his parting words began to repeat themselves in her head. "Sorry about your family," she whispered to no one as tears began to flow freely down her face. Her family was dead and in their place was the knowledge that there were people out in the world that wouldn't hesitate to kill her if they knew she was alive. Her tears quickly turned to full out sobs that she had trouble controlling for the rest of the day. Somewhere around midnight her body finally succumbed to exhaustion and she fell into a fitful slumber.


End file.
